


The Smallest of Gowons

by Demi_Chaos



Series: Written For Loona Amino [1]
Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Fairy Tale Retellings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:15:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22212418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demi_Chaos/pseuds/Demi_Chaos
Summary: The small, little Gowon was separated from her home! She goes on a big journey to finally get what her heart desires.Written for the COGWchallenge on Loona Amino Amino
Series: Written For Loona Amino [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1598998
Kudos: 4





	The Smallest of Gowons

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a little girl. Her name was Gowon and she was really, really small. She was about the size of a finger and could not grow any larger. Her house is on the inside of a hollow tree, right next to the river. Everyday, she sits on an empty spool and uses a folded playing card as a table. She bathes in a teacup everyday and makes her clothes out of leaves. Gowon was happy with her little house, she says that she is every night before she goes into her small bed, a stack of wide leaves with fresh picked cotton as a pillow. 

One night, Gowon saw large rain clouds covered the beautiful night sky. She wished that it wouldn’t rain, as her house could easily flood if it did. She sat on her spool wondering what would happen if she was ever separated from her home. She didn’t have wings like a fairy, she couldn’t just fly back. Gowon would have to walk everywhere, and being as small as she is, that isn’t easy. She went to bed with an uneasy mind, hoping she gets to keep her home forever.

When Gowon woke up, she wasn’t in her leafy bed, but on a lily pad, going further and further down the river. She panicked, how was she going to go back home? Oh no. The river was really long, and Gowon’s arms were too weak to try and swim over to the bank. She just waited and waited on the little lilypad, hoping someone could save her.

Gowon’s unexpected journey eventually ended when the river slowed down enough for Gowon to able to paddle over to the shore. Wet from the cold river, Gowon wasn’t sure where she was, but she knew her home was upstream. She got on her feet and began to walk. Gowon was pretty hungry, so when she saw apple seeds on the riverbed, she looked around for apples. The cold little girl now had to make a choice, does she go deeper into the forest to look for an apple tree? Or does she just continue walking and make it home sooner? The grumble in Gowon’s stomach made a decision. “Apple tree! Where are you? ” the girl muttered to herself as she looked around for more seeds. From off in the distance, Gowon heard a clanking sound. It sounded weird and loud, very unfamiliar. 

The clanging noises were deep into the forest, Gowon as curious as to what it was. She forgot about her search for the apple tree and went to the sound instead. She walked right into a cave where some people were working. Oh, who are they? Gowon counted one, two, three, four, five, six, seven short people. The clanking noise was coming from when their curvy metal sticks hit the shiny bits on the wall. There was another noise they were making. Oh, they were singing! That’s it, singing. Gowon now no longer curious, had to get food. She sang the cave people’s song as she walked, and began to look for any fruit tree. With her head up to the sky, she accidentally bumped into a squirrel. 

“Ah! I’m sorry Mr. Squirrel. I was just looking for food I can eat. I’ll be on my way” Gowon explained and continued her walk. She continued looking for food and wasn’t expecting the squirrel to come back with a friend.

“Hello again, and hello Mr. Racoon” She greeted with a smile and ignored the two animals, singing the song like before. The squirrel kept coming back with more and more animals. Squirrels, racoons, bunnies, birds and deer were all gathered around Gowon now. 

“My my, what’s this?” a woman’s voice questioned.

“Ah!” Gowon screamed and tried to run away from the tall woman, but the animals trapped her. 

The pretty woman sat on her knees and reached a hand out to Gowon.

“Oh you poor thing, the woodlings told me of a hungry newcomer, I wasn’t expecting such a small guest.”

“You speak to them?”

“I do, and my name is Yves. May I ask what your name is?”

“Oh, I’m Gowon” the small girl grabbed onto Yves’s finger and shook it. Yves smiled and allowed for Gowon to sit on her hand. 

“I can give you some food if your hungry, and clothes if you’re cold” Yves’s offer felt like a dream to the cold, wet Gowon.

“Ah, thank you! Thank you so much! ”

Yves took the little girl to the cottage she was currently in. She told her woes to Gowon, who lent a tiny ear. 

“The queen banished me for being too pretty, and I would not be alive if not for the kindness of that hunter. I found a cottage that was being used by seven dwarves, and they were nice enough to let me stay with them. In return, I cook and clean for them. It’s not too bad of a situation. The woodlings help me everyday and the current is out of my life for now. ”

Yves made a small warm dress for Gowon as she ate an apple Yves had picked. Gowon explained her predicament and Yves listened. When the dwarves came home, they were shocked to find Gowon laughing with Yves. Eventually, they all went to bed, Gowon sleeping on a shelf with a towel covering her.

The next morning, after the dwarves have gone to mine, an unexpected visitor showed up at the window. It was an old woman offering some apples. Gowon was at the window still when she showed up so she jumped into the basket and almost took a bite out of the huge red juicy one, but something stopped her. She smelled the apples and knew they weren’t safe. She jumped back inside and climbed Yves’s dress all the way up to her ear. Gowon asked Yves to take the apple and do as she says. Yves obliged, only pretending to take a bite. She then fell to the ground dramatically and stayed down as the woman laughed walking away. Gowon told Yves the coast was clear and they followed after her. Gowon had a plan. 

A deer bumped into the hag causing her to drop her basket. As the lady cursed, Gowon ran up with the poison apple and placed it in the tipped over basket. Other woodland creatures ran to the normal apples and took them all. The lady now worried for her apples, grabbed the basket with the poison one still inside. The hag laughed, claiming her love for red apples and took a bite. She fell to the ground in an instant. The dwarves found them quickly, some of the woodlings had gone to call them. They buried the hag and rejoiced.

Yves had prepared a small sack of food and clothes for Gowon to take on her journey. She explained that she had to go back to the castle and take over now that the evil queen was forever gone. She had a trusty deer take Gowon to the next kingdom over, since the deer can’t go further than that, and hopefully Gowon can find someone to help her there. With some teary goodbyes, they all went their separate ways, Gowon singing the miner’s song as she left.

The little deer got Gowon all the way to the next kingdom. It stuck as close to the river as it could so Gowon would be able to walk home if needed. When it stopped, she gave it an apple as a treat and headed upstream. It didn’t take long for her to come across someone. She heard them before she saw them. A bunch of mice popped out of a bush, laughing about some cat. Gowon didn’t say anything as she walked past. She wouldn’t have ever said anything, if a cat didn’t paw at her. She screamed and ran, it chased. The mice from before eventually came to her aid. One of the mice, the one dressed in red, called for the cat’s attention while the other grabbed Gowon’s hand and took her somewhere safe.

Gowon was gasping for breath. They had ran quite the distance into what seems to be a castle. The little mouse promised her that the cat won’t get to them for a little while. The chubby mouse introduced himself as Gus, and the other mouse as Jaq. After explaining to him what she needed to do, he told her of “Cindu” who helps anyone she can. Jaq caught up to them, and they began tracing down Cindu, who was never still for long.

When night came, Jaq and Gus lead Gowon to Cindu’s room, all the way up to the attic. There, she met the pretty girl, who introduced herself as Chuu. Her father married an evil woman to help raise Chuu after her mother’s passing, but soon after, he himself has passed. Stepmother was no longer kind, she became cruel. She forced Chuu to carry out the household tasks and barely gave the girl any peace. Stepmother even degraded Chuu by calling her “Cinder Chuu” for always having cinder, dust or grime on her face after a long day of cleaning. Chuu asked what brought Gowon to them, letting the small girl explain her story.

“Oh my, that sounds awful. I greatly appreciate Yves’s efforts, and I will try to help you as best I can.” Chuu promised. The next day wasn’t going to be the day Gowon gets home, however, because it was the day of the ball. Chuu explained that there was an annual ball that everyone in the kingdom is allowed to go to. It was started as a way to find a suitable heir to the kingdom. The current king and queen have no heir, and elect a member from the common folk to participate in the opportunity to rule for a year. If they do well, they become the heir, if not, they are banished from the throne and the ball is held again the next year. Chuu was always wanted to go, but stepmother always finds an excuse to keep her home. This year, Chuu insists on going. Gowon promised to help her dream come true.

Chuu woke up before dawn, her footsteps causing Gowon to wake up too. Chuu found a dress of her mother’s and told her friends that she plans to fix it for the ball. Gowon watched as Chuu wore her apron and went on with her day. Gowon and the animals in Chuu’s room wanted to help her out, so they gathered up material and worked on the dress, adding ribbons and sashes to make it look more youthful and new. It took a long time, but with Gowon’s careful planning, they got it done by the end of the day. Chuu came back to her room, and spoke to the little animals there, telling them that maybe it wasn’t her year. She got all her work done, but had no time to make a dress. That’s when the little birds opened up the closet doors to reveal the pink dress. 

“It’s my...”

“Surprise!” they all called out. Chuu was close to tears.

She quickly got the dress on, promising to thank them all later and chased after the rest. Stepmother was shocked, and so were the stepsisters. Gowon watched it all go down from her spot on the top floor. The sisters tore at the dress, claiming it was made from parts of their dresses, and stem mother let them. Chasing after a crying Chuu was sad and difficult. She went out to the garden and cried across a bench. Gowon wished that Chuu can get some help, and it seems that it came true. When Gowon caught up to Chuu, a woman in a blue cloak was speaking to Chuu.

Gowon rushed over with the mice, afraid of what could happen, but Gowon stayed back. She watched in fascination and horror as the woman transformed a few of the creatures around them. She then admired the way Chuu’s dress was transformed into a beautiful ball gown. She ran up to them, and the woman was busy telling Chuu about some rules. As Chuu got into the carriage, the woman grabbed Gowon gently took her back onto the castle, telling her that they had to talk a bit.

The woman, who was Chuu’s godmother, listened to Gowon’s worries. She told her that she can’t send her home magically, but she can figure out something for her when Chuu comes home. It wasn’t long before the clock struck midnight. Gowon rushed to greet Chuu at the door. She wasn’t expecting to see her smile with the tattered dress on, clutching one shoe in hand. Chuu told them all about it when she went up to her room. How the king and queen were impressed with her, and how they asked her to be the heir if no other candidates were worthy. She agreed, but when they asked for her name, the clock struck midnight and she had to rush back. Gowon wished that they could find her.

The next day, the castle had sent the word that an unknown candidate was chosen last night. Gowon told Chuu to go to the castle and prove she was that candidate. Stepmother overheard this, and locked Chuu in her room, planning to send her own daughters to be the candidate. How could Chuu go to the castle now? Gowon gathered the critters and formed a plan. They were to leave the attic and find the key to her room. Gowon knew the key would be in stepmother’s pocket, so she asked the rats for a little favor. It didn’t take long for the plan to get in motion. 

The mice lured the cat, YG, out of its hiding spot. It chased after Jaq and Gus as soon as it saw them. They ran up to stepmother and twirled around her feet. YG came to her aid and chased the mice around stepmother’s feet. This disoriented her. She tried to walk away, but everytime she tried to walk way, the chase would get closer to her feet. Eventually she slipped, key flying out of her grip. Gowon picked it up and walked up to Chuu, leaving the mice to fend for themselves. It took Gowon over an hour to lug the heavy key all the way up the staircases, but she eventually made it, pushing the key under the door. She made it inside and saw Chuu crying in a curled up ball. Gowon cleared her throat.

“Hem, hem”

“Oh Gowon. I didn’t see you there. I can’t believe I’ll have to wait another year to go to the castle...”

“What if I told you that you don’t have to do that?”

“What?” Chuu was confused, but went wide eyed at the sight of the key. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Chuu grabbed the key and opened the door, making sure Gowon was by her side. 

“Wait!” Gowon asked Chuu where the shoe was, and she grabbed it before leaving. It was sundown by the time Chuu made it to the castle. She walked in and greeted the king and queen on the throne explaining that she was the one from last night. When asked to prove it, she wore the glass slipper she had left behind the night before. She also pulled out the other pair, proving that it wasn’t a fluke. She was assigned Princess Chuu. The new princess was grateful for Gowon’s help. She offered a carriage to take Gowon home, but the little girl explained that her house was far too small for a carriage to take her there. Nonetheless, Gowon was in a carriage ordered to take her as far upstream as it can possibly go. With another tearful goodbye, Gowon was getting closer and closer to her home.

The carriage stopped when the river contained between two mountains. There was no way for the horses to pass through without getting caught by the stream, they were too big. Luckily, Gowon was small enough to walk along the slim river bank safely. She walked and walked, getting colder and colder as time passed. Eventually, it was too cold to go on. Gowon was shivering, the sun’s absence taking a toll on her. She wanted to lay there in the mud and sleep, but she knew it would be too cold. She continued her dazed pace until she made it out of the valley. She saw a tall, old looking tower not to far away and began walking towards it. She knew that it would be safer there than out in the open. Gowon took a wrong step and tumbled down. She rolled down a hill she didn’t realize was there, her momentum launching her across the field to the base of the tower. Extremely disoriented and cold, Gowon fell asleep.

When she came to, Gowon wasn’t lying on the grass outside, she was on a bed. She sat up and found a little green chameleon staring at her. It camouflage itself into the bedding, but Gowon called it out. Someone must have heard her, the footsteps getting closer and closer to the bed told her so. She watched as a girl with seemingly never ending hair stepped into the room, introducing herself as Olivia Hye. She was glad Gowon got up. Yeojin, the little camilion, saw her early this morning outside the tower so they used Olivia Hye’s incredibly long hair to get her inside. Asked about the hair might have been rude to some, but Olivia Hye didn’t hold the explanations back. Gowon thought she must be lonely. 

Olivia Hye’s mother raised her in this here tower to keep her safe from the outside world. There were people that wanted to hurt Olivia Hye and cut her hair when she was younger, she even had the short brown strand of hair as proof of the event. She stayed inside this tower for exactly 18 years. Her birthday was tomorrow, and she was excited to see the lights that usually flew. Gowon asked where she sees them from, and Olivia Hye frowned, mentioning the main tower entrance was also a window. Olivia Hye wanted to see them up close, but she could never leave the caste, and was too afraid to go alone. Gowon offered to go with her and Olivia Hye squealed. They planned to leave as soon as Olivia Hye pointed out the direction of the lights. 

The grass was a sensation Olivia Hye almost couldn’t believe was real. It was so much better than she knew. Unlike Gowon, Olivia Hye wasn’t used to walking long distances. They took several breaks. Once, they stopped at a pub where Olivia Hye made fast friends with the locals. She had no prejudice or ill thought of the people there, willing to make as many friends as she can. When Olivia Hye’s mother showed up, a man named Jaden opened up a secret passage that he promised would get them to the castle faster. He explained that this woman was absolutely evil. The type to steal from children and the poor. He told her that she was evil enough to steal a child, but he couldn’t prove it. Jaden told Olivia that she needed to stay far away from said woman. That stuck with Olivia. On their way out, somehow, the exit to the cave got blocked with them still inside, water slowly rising. 

Gowon cried, complaining that all she wanted to do was go home. When it got dark, Olivia Hye sang, remembering how hair glowed when she does. She sang a song Gowon didn’t recognize and they found a few pebbles they could move. They made a hole large enough for Gowon to fit through to the outside. The little one moved even more rocks from the outside until the large boulder was pushed away by the water pressure. They sat on the riverside for a little while, talking about their lives. Olivia 

Soon, they were back on track, heading ever closer to the castle. In the town square, there was a celebration. It was in the hope of finding their lost princess. A few girls offered to braid Olivia Hye’s hair to help her move around more easily. A nice woman gave Olivia Hye a lantern for her to light up and enjoy, her wife offered the “out of towner” her boat to use for the night. They explained that they found each other on a night like this when their boats crashed into one another, and that it became a tradition to offer the second boat for someone else to find the chance to fall in love. Olivia Hye appreciated it, but didn’t think she would be finding someone to love tonight. Olivia Hye needed Gowon’s help to light the lantern, and soon it flew. 

They were beautiful. The night sky illuminated with this beautiful scene, Olivia Hye thanked Gowon for her help, and promised to help her in return. Gowon wished Olivia Hye a happy birthday and enjoyed the lights with her. When the lights went away, Gowon asked Olivia Hye about the missing princess, but the teen had no idea. They thought about asking the nice couple about it when they go to give the boat back. They spoke a lot on the way back. It was enough for Olivia Hye to trust in Gowon. When Gowon explained that Olivia Hye’s mother might not be the one she was raised with, she didn’t question it as much as she thought she would. Olivia just asked for proof, which Gowon didn’t have.

It didn’t take long to spot them. Right as Olivia Hye was about to call for them, trumpets sounded. The king and queen were coming though. Confused, Olivia didn’t know what to do when she saw all the people around her bowing. She looked up and her eyes met with the queen. A few guards made their way towards Olivia Hye, yelling at her to bow in the presence of royalty, but the queen quickly stopped them. She got off of the carriage, ignoring the gasps that sounded through the air as well as the king’s question. The queen walked up to Olivia Hye and Gowon, placing her hand on the teen’s cheek. The king followed, and gasped. 

“Honey,” the king whispered to his queen “is this...”

“I think it is” she whispered back

“Um...I’m sorry, what?”

The women from before explained. Olivia Hye looked exactly like the lost princess, only older. The mural they pointed at wasn’t too far, and it really did look like Olivia. They then asked how old Olivia Hye was, and when her birthday is. Her answers confirmed exactly what they suspected. The queen asked if her hair was unusual, and Gowon confirmed it. The little one asked Olivia Hye to sing for them, and her hair glowed when she did. The king announced that the lost princess has returned, and placed a bounty on the head of the woman responsible. 

Olivia Hye and Gowon were taken to the castle, but right at the gates, Olivia Hye’s kidnapper stood. She there and threatened to magically kill the king and queen if Olivia Hye wasn’t handed over to her. Amidst the panic, Gowon thought of something. She asked Olivia Hye to keep the hag talking while she did something. Gowon jumped off of her friend and ran inside to the staff, asking one of them for a pair of scissors or a knife. Gowon went back to the gate and motioned for Olivia Hye to come forward. She stood by the hag’s side, and freed her hair inside the castle. Now, it was easy for the staff member to cut it. It was only cut by half the length, but the effect was immediate on the hag. She fell to the ground, screaming in pain as guards seized her. That staff member got a nice raise.

Olivia Hye’s hair was cut to a more manageable length and the celebrations continued into the next day. When they got a moment of piece, Gowon asked about others like her. She wanted to know if she was the only one this small. Olivia Hye asked her parents about it, and apparently there was a fairy kingdom with people the size of Gowon not too far from their own. Olivia Hye wasn’t allowed to accompany Gowon, but she did so anyway.

Gowon was anxious. She didn’t know what to expect. She walked on the dirt road until she reached a gate of sorts. She saw the castle behind it, and so she just opened it and kept going. Walking forward more and more until she met the castle doors. It was quiet. Too quiet. Gowon didn’t realize that she hasn’t seen a single person, large or small. She kept going though the castle and eventually made it to the throne room. There was a glowing item in the middle. 

Her instincts told her to flee, her brain told her to learn more first, her heart told her to check it out. She checked it out. It was a glowing sword, one the size of a regular human. It was way too big for Gowon to think about picking up. She considered calling Olivia Hye over to help, but she wanted to do it herself. Gowon considered the size of the sword, and looked for a staircase that took her to the third or fourth floor.

She saw the top of the hilt in the middle of an extremely large hole in someone’s bedroom. She looked to the ceiling and noted the lack of an entry hole for this sword. That’s weird. Gowon stood on it and tried to get it to fall, but she was too small to make it move. She looked around and thought about the heaviest item in the room. She found it. Gowon pushed the bed against top of the hilt and noticed the sword shaking a bit. Hmm. She continued to push more and more furniture on it until the room was empty. The sword was one shiver away from ripping itself off of the floor and falling to the ground. Gowon grabbed on to it and watched as the wood stories below cracked and the sword came loose. The small girl screamed as she swung down, terror and joy being her only emotions. When she landed, the sword clanged against the floor, and the cheers came through. Looking around, Gowon found a crowd of people that wasn’t there seconds ago.

“What is going on?” She asked. The crowd parted and a person walked through. 

“What is your name dear?” Gowon was a bit skeptical about sharing her name, but she did so anyway.

“I am Gowon, and you are?” The person smiled. 

“I am Noire. I am the ruler of this little kingdom” a few snickers ran through the crowd. 

“Haha, little”

“Good one Leader”

“Such a great ruler, our ruler is” 

“You have rescued us from a curse. A witch passed by one day, and kept complaining about our lack of accommodation to her. She was the size of a human, and we had nothing that was fit for her. Our food portions were unsatisfying, our rooms were too cramped, and our voices were too low. We told her that the next kingdom over would be a better fit, since it was human sized, but she took that in anger. She impaled a sword through the castle and made us all vaish. For years, we could not see, hear or touch each other. All we could do to communicate was to write on surfaces, but not everyone could read. Our mages tried everything to break the curse, but it was no use. It was too large for us. We were a mess until you came along. You took the sword out, the curse is broken! ”

Cheers rang out from the entirety of the castle, now a lot louder than before. It seems that more people came into the castle after realizing that they weren’t invisible anymore.

“We would like to reward you somehow. Any wish you can dream of, we’ll make come true. Our mages would love to expend their magic to something other than breaking that curse.”

Gowon had nothing to say. She wanted to go home, but is home really the end for her? Is she just meant to go home and spend her days going about as if nothing happened to her at all? Go back to her routine of eating on her empty spool and bathing in teacups? No. Gowon cannot.

Gowon could wish to become a regular sized human. A larger size than she currently has that would make her a regular person. But can she live with that? She has spent 18 years of her live this small, can she really accept another body? Living as a normal human among humans, no longer fitting in teacups and in the crevasse of trees? No. Gowon cannot.

Gowon knew what she wanted to be. She asked the ruler of that, and they agreed. The mages muttered among themselves and lifted their wands, swishing them in union, making Gowon’s dream come true. Gowon smiled and left the castle, her wish now a reality.

Olivia Hye wasn’t worried about her friend, she was just anxious. When a knock came to the side of the carriage Olivia Hye opened the door with no second thought. In walked a beautiful girl. Olivia Hye was confused, Gowon wasn’t this size.

“Um...Gowon?” 

“Yes?”

“Am I dreaming?”

“No, Olivia Hye, you aren’t dreaming.”

“You’re big!” he screamed and grabbed the girl’s hands. They fit nicely in hers. Woah, this really isn’t a dream then.

“It was my wish”

“Wish?”

“I’ll tell you as we get back to the kingdom”

Gowon explained what happened from the moment she left the carriage. Gowon wished for the best. To be able to enjoy life as a small person, and as a regular sized human. The mages gave her the ability to change her size. Olivia was ecstatic, but she had one thing on her mind.

“Why?”

“Why? What do you mean why?”

“Why would you want to be a human size? I mean, I thought you just wanted to get back home.”

“Well...” Gowon stared out of the window rather than face Olivia. “I’ve met a lot of people on this journey of mine. I knew I couldn’t stay at home and forget all I’ve been through. I want to visit more kingdoms, and help more people.”

“You could still do that as a small person though.”

“Yeah...but I also wanted to do that with you. I loved seeing the lanterns with you, but I want to be like those women that gave us their lanterns and boat. I had fun with you, and Yves and Chuu, but I want more.”

Olivia Hye was touched.

“Let’s go meet those two. They’ll be in for a surprise when they see you like this!”

“Yeah..But I need proper clothes first”

Olivia Hye looked at Gowon’s clothes, or lack thereof, and looked up at the ceiling of the carriage. She wasn’t in the nude, but these garments sure were tight. Olivia Hye asked about the other two girls, and what did she do with them. Gowon laughed and leaned on her friend, telling her all about it.


End file.
